Alexander Hipple

When we talk about “concentration” within the context of meditation practice, the term isn’t quite right for us English speakers. A more accurate way to describe this might be “repeating,” where we repeatedly apply the mind to an object and sustain the mind on an object. This process is “applied and sustained thought” (vitakka and vicāra), two qualities found in the first jhāna. The other three qualities of the first jhāna are best talked about in English as something like “success” (pīti), “satisfaction” (sukkha, the opposite of dukkha or “dissatisfaction”), and “going at once to the object”, doing this “in one go”, directly (ekaggatā).

The word “concentration” in English tends to suggest a kind of reduction or division, think of concentrated orange juice, where the water is removed. No one drinks concentrated orange juice straight from the package though; they add water back to make it whole once again. Similarly, in meditation practice, what we call “concentration” could be better understood and talked about as repeatedly “collecting” or “calming” the activities of the body and the mind.

Personally, I refer to samatha as “stopping.”

Samādhi, often translated as “concentration”, is more about the unification of the mind—a gathering together of scattered activities into a cohesive whole. It doesn’t fully arise until the second jhāna, when applied and sustained thought cease. So instead of thinking of samādhi as a “concentrated” or “one-pointed” mind, it’s more helpful to think of it as a “collected” or “unified” mind.

This understanding also frees us from the pressure to focus on nostrils, count breaths, or chase a “peak meditation experience” in hopes of achieving some grand cessation of experience and earning a fancy title. Some people don’t like hearing this and may cling to their rituals or techniques, pretending they didn’t hear it at all.

On a related note, it’s not easy to make a living by teaching to practice this way. It doesn’t lend itself to selling books or hosting retreats because if you learn to solve your own problems, you won’t need to follow a guru or buy the next $19.99 miracle technique. Perhaps this is why effective teachings are shared between friends rather than sold in the marketplace. But I digress…

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: dissatisfaction and the end of dissatisfaction—that’s all there is to it. It’s simple. Dissatisfaction is duality. Step out of it, right here and right now, and there’s nothing more to do. When the mind is free from dissatisfaction, the work is done, and life unfolds naturally.

If you find yourself slipping back into dissatisfaction (as we often do, we could even call it a bad habit), it’s a wake-up call. Take a look at your state of mind (your attitude) and make a change. Shift from an unwholesome mental state of dissatisfaction to a wholesome state of satisfaction, and then congratulate yourself for doing so.

This is one’s right noble effort.

“Lather, rinse, repeat.” When adventitious defilements arise in the mind, clean them out immediately. The Dhamma is everywhere, even on your shampoo bottle, if you’re paying attention.

Once the mind is free from the five hindrances, it’s fit for work. What work? The work of seeing clearly (vipassanā) the true nature of things. Stopping (samatha) and seeing (vipassanā) are not separate; they are two parts of the same path (or “method”). A mind burdened by hindrances can’t see clearly—by definition, it’s hindered!

So, remember to stop chasing stories and see reality for what it is, as often as you can. This is the essence of correct practice. It’s why you’ll hear people say, “the first jhāna is the path”—if you’re associating with good friends who practice effectively and understand the way.

This brings us to the importance of good friends. After his awakening, the Buddha didn’t write books or establish retreats; he built a community of practitioners. Through effective practice, this community transmits the Buddha’s teachings with minimal distortion, ensuring the door to liberation remains open for all who seek it.

Email

URL

Views: 37